Yes, you can get paid for your opinion — and actually get paid pretty well.

But … the most lucrative ways to get paid for your opinion take more time and effort than simply answering surveys.

In this post, I’ll break down several legit ways to turn your ideas, opinions, and feedback into real income. Combined, these methods are worth thousands of dollars a month.

Ready? Let’s do it!

1. Take Online Surveys

The easiest and fastest way to get paid for your opinion is to sign up with various online survey companies.

These won’t make you rich, but are an easy way to make extra money. Plus, you can do them in your downtime like when you’re waiting in line or watching TV.

Here are some of Side Hustle Nation’s favorites:

If you’re consistent with these, they could be worth $30-50 a month.

2. Participate in Focus Groups and Paid Market Research

In-person and online focus groups and paid research studies pay significantly more than typical online surveys. The average compensation on these is $50-150 an hour!

Why would your opinion be worth so much? Well, many companies use customer interviews and focus groups to get early feedback on new products.

Paying a few participants like you to help get the product right is far less costly than launching the wrong product with the wrong messaging!

The downside is it can be difficult to get selected very often.

Here are some of the most reputable market research companies to sign up with.

User Interviews

User Interviews facilitate customer feedback interviews online and over the phone.

I’ve earned $105 with User Interviews so far, in exchange for about an hour and a half. Check out our full User Interviews review for more.

Respondent

Respondent is a similar service, specializing in one-on-one market research interviews, mostly done over the phone or online.

According to the site, the average payout is over $100 an hour. Check out our full Respondent review for more.

(I even got paid $190 for a 2-hour in-person focus group … that involved playing with Legos!)

Rare Patient Voice

A leading source for medical research, Rare Patient Voice pays patients and caregivers $120 an hour. Most of the studies are phone or webcam interviews, and you can browse a full list of available studies on their site.

If you suffer from any sort of medical condition (even if it’s not super rare), I think this one is worth a look.

FocusGroup.com

FocusGroup.com is run by Sago, a long-running research company. They offer nationwide phone or webcam research opportunities that pay between $75 and $200.

I earned $115 for a 45-minute online survey — check out my full FocusGroup.com review to learn more.

3. Build a Website

One of the best ways to get paid for your opinion is to create a helpful website.

In fact, that’s what I do on this site! Every month I earn thousands of dollars sharing my opinion on the best side hustles of the year and other topics.

As with most businesses, there’s a lot to learn about creating and marketing your site, but it can be extremely lucrative. 

For example:

Shelly Marmor earns $50k a month sharing Mexico travel tips!
Andrew Fiebert earns 6-figures a year sharing gift ideas

Want to start a website of your own? Check out my free 6-part video course on how to start your own site.

4. Start a Newsletter

An email newsletter is a low-cost side hustle to start. (Tools like Substack, SendFox, and Beehiiv make it easier than ever.)

One model to consider is a daily or weekly “curation” newsletter. How it works is you source the most interesting stories in your niche, and share those with your subscribers.

For bonus points, add your own insight and commentary to each headline.

As the subscriber base grows, most newsletters eventually monetize with ads or paid subscriptions.

One fun (and very opinionated) example is Codie Sanchez’ Contrarian Thinking. In it, she breaks down topics like entrepreneurship, buying businesses, and investing — all through a “contrarian” lens.

Do you have a favorite newsletter you subscribe to?

5. Host a Podcast

Podcasting is another unique way to build an income stream around your opinions. It can take a while to build an audience, but it’s a business that can scale really well.

After all, it takes the same effort to produce an episode that 100 people listen to as it does to produce one that 100,000 people listen to.

Top podcasts earn up to $100,000 for a single episode — but even smaller shows can thrive with a niche topic. We’ve seen successful side hustle examples from a range of podcast niches, including:

Parenting
Dinosaurs (for real!)
App marketing

This could be a good fit if you love to talk!

6. Start a YouTube Channel

YouTube is an interesting platform because it’s designed for both education and entertainment. And the algorithm rewards creators with compelling, engaging content.

To get paid for your opinion on YouTube, you’ll need to start building out your channel. Use a tool like TubeBuddy to research various topics and their competitiveness.

After your channel reaches certain metrics, you’ll be able to monetize with Google’s built-in advertising system. Other video creators make money from:

fan donations
affiliate partnerships
brand sponsorships
merch
selling their own product or service

For example, my buddy Marko Zlatic runs a popular channel called WhiteBoard Finance. He breaks down complex personal finance topics and gives his opinion on current money events — and earns a healthy 6-figure income from home.

7. Write a Book

One of my favorite and most passive side hustles is self-publishing. Passive — after the whole book-writing part, that is 🙂

My books share my opinion on topics like:

how to work with virtual assistants
the most important items every website should have
how to start a side hustle

Over the last decade, my collection of titles have earned me over $80,000.

I can’t call myself a full-time author, but it’s a fun way to get paid to put your ideas and opinions out into the world.

8. Go Mystery Shopping

As a mystery shopper, you get to try new things and make some extra money at the same time.

For example, you can get paid $3-10 or more to:

check product displays
verify inventory levels at stores
sample new products or restaurants and give your opinion

The free Field Agent app makes it super easy to find available tasks in your area.

It’s hard to piece together a consistent income on Field Agent, but it is a fun way to make some money on the shopping trips you’re already making. Check out my full Field Agent app review for more.

9. Test Websites

Sites like UserTesting and Intellizoom pay you to give feedback on websites. It’s free to sign up and you’ll record your screen while you test features and functionality.

These typically pay $10 for every 20-minute test, but they fill up fast!

10. Product Testing

Another well-established “pay for opinions” company is Product Report Card. They offer paid surveys, product testing and review gigs, and online focus groups.

The best-paying work is for in-home product tests and remote interviews and focus groups — often in the $75-$150/hour range.

Product Report Card will also give you a $5 welcome bonus for completing a short survey after you join. There’s a $25 minimum to cash-out.

11. Review Products on Amazon

No, in most cases Amazon won’t pay you to leave written reviews of the products you buy, but there’s still good news.

If you’re accepted into the Amazon Influencer Program, you can get paid to create short video product reviews.

In turn, Amazon displays those on the relevant product pages, and rewards you a commission when someone makes a purchase after watching your video.

I made a little over $100 doing this in my first month, with very little effort! Plus, I’ve connected with other side hustlers earning $2,000 a month sharing their opinions on Amazon products.

12. Freelance Writing

Many companies hire freelance writers to create:

website content
sales copy
marketing newsletters
product descriptions
brochures and training material

And yes, even in the age of AI, there’s still a strong demand for real human writers who have experience, voice, and an opinion on what they’re writing about.

Freelance writers command anywhere from $50-500 or more per article, and can connect with clients on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr.

For example, Georgia Austin started her freelance writing business on Fiverr, and got her first orders right away. The more you practice your writing, the faster you’ll get.

13. Write Software Reviews

G2 and Capterra are a popular software review platforms that occasionally pay Amazon gift cards for honest product reviews.

I’ve received several of these—worth over $100 in total—for writing reviews of software I use for work.

The best way to get started is to leave your first review for free. During that process, they’ll ask what other tools you use.

Don’t review those yet — wait for an email to come through offering a gift card incentive.

All in all, it’s a pretty easy way to get paid, albeit in the form of gift cards.

14. Coaching and Consulting

Many individuals and companies hire coaches and consultants to help them solve problems.

Over the years, I’ve hired several myself for podcasting, SEO, and general business systems. Those professionals got paid for their insight, expertise, and opinions on what changes I should implement.

And it’s not just me — consulting is a big business, with an estimated industry size of over $300 billion.

One potential way to connect with clients is to post helpful videos on YouTube, like Paul Minors did about Asana.

For coaching, take a look at a platform like Coach.me.

15. Solve Interesting Problems

MindSumo is a cool service that asks for your input on certain questions on behalf of its corporate clients. The best and most creative answers earn rewards of $550-1600.

When I was browsing, I saw questions like “How would you improve the car buying experience?” and “How can we make laundry less of a hassle?”

Getting Paid for Your Opinion: Your Turn

What’s the best way to get paid for your opinion? Of course it depends on your goals and interests.

For some, completing a few surveys a week and earning a few extra dollars a month is perfectly fine. Others would argue it’s not worth their time.

I’m not one to judge either way — I’ve done almost everything on this list! Still, my preference is for side hustles with either a strong hourly rate or the ability to scale down the road.

Serious About Making Extra Money?

Start Your Free $500 Challenge. My free 5-day email course shows you how to add $500 to your bottom line.
Join the free Side Hustle Nation Community. The free Facebook group is the best place to connect with other side hustlers and get your questions answered.
Download The Side Hustle Show. My free podcast shares how to make extra money with actionable weekly episodes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you really get paid for your opinion?

Yes, there are lots of ways to get paid for your opinion — and taking online surveys only scratches the surface. The people making the most from their opinions are content creators like freelance writers, website owners, YouTube channel hosts, and newsletter creators.

What online survey companies pay the most?

Online survey companies like Swagbucks and Inbox Dollars get a lot of press, but you’ll have to dig a little deeper for better paying options. For example, the academic research site Prolific tends to pay slightly more. But your best bet is to look for paid market research studies and focus groups through services like User Interviews. Check out the full post on Side Hustle Nation to learn other legit ways to get paid for your opinion.

Are online surveys a good side hustle?

Online surveys are a common, easy, and legit side hustle to start, but most don’t pay very well. (Like, less than minimum wage.) So you have to ask yourself: could you time be better spent elsewhere?

Ben Feys and Kevin Niehoff had a problem.

As young professionals working busy day jobs, they struggled with skincare issues like acne and eczema but couldn’t find products that worked for them.

Rather than accept their fate, these best friends decided to take matters into their own hands. They dreamed of creating the “Nike of skincare” — a brand built specifically for active males like themselves.

In 2019, Ben and Kevin finally decided to scratch their entrepreneurial itch and turn this passion project into a side hustle reality.

Little did they know their bootstrapped men’s skincare line YoPrettyBoy.com would be on track to generate over $1 million in annual revenue just a few years later.

Tune into Episode 581 of The Side Hustle Show to learn:

How Kevin and Ben validated the market opportunity for PrettyBoy
The extensive research and preparations that went into formulating and launching their products
Clever branding and positioning strategies to stand out in a crowded market
Traction tactics to efficiently acquire customers and drive repeat sales
Key operational areas like manufacturing, fulfillment, and inventory management

Finding the Idea and Early Inspiration

The skincare market already had countless products from huge brands. So what made Kevin and Ben think they could compete?

As Kevin explains, “Ben and I have been going to dermatologists for over 10 years. We’ve been using products that haven’t really been what we really wanted out of skincare.”

Both founders had struggled with skincare issues since their teenage years. They had tried products from the biggest brands out there but never found something that fully met their needs and preferences as male consumers.

Ben added, “When I was younger I had kind of the acne-prone skin breakouts [and] was super self conscious about it.”

This inspired them to consider — what if they could develop a skincare line fully optimized for how men want to take care of their skin?

Extensive Pre-Launch Market Research

Ben and Kevin knew that launching a skincare brand in an already crowded market wouldn’t be easy.

“There are dozens of skincare products out there, including some from huge brands,” says Ben. “We asked ourselves, what’s going through your head? Can we really compete with the big guys?”

Rather than get discouraged, the duo leaned into the competition. As former athletes, Ben and Kevin have a competitive drive baked into their DNA.

“Innovation is best fostered through competition,” says Ben. “We knew if we could be unique enough and solve key pain points, we could break into the market.”

To find those pain points, Ben and Kevin went straight to the source: hundreds of potential male customers. Their 30-question survey uncovered some clear preferences:

Simplicity – Men wanted streamlined routines with fewer products.
Performance – Their top concern was products that actually work.
Texture – Heavy creams and greasy formulas were dealbreakers.

“So many brands were coming out with five-step routines or more,” says Kevin. “But the data showed most guys don’t want to use more than three products.”

But they didn’t stop there. To build credibility, they had dermatologists evaluate the ingredients list for their product versus competitors. As Ben shares, “We did clinical surveys where we were asking hundreds of dermatologists to rank our ingredient list against name brand competitors.”

They also estimated the total addressable market (TAM) for men’s skincare products to be massive.

Armed with these insights, Ben and Kevin finally felt confident they could compete in skincare—with the right branding and positioning.

Finding the Right Manufacturer

Turning survey feedback into an actual product still posed challenges. Kevin admits, “We didn’t know what the hell we were doing early on. We were using Google. We were calling manufacturers, just trying to get on the phone, calling people in China. And it was pretty stressful.”

After months of calls and dead ends, they finally connected with a US-based contract manufacturer via a networking connection (Kevin’s girlfriend).

This manufacturer had experience developing products for major brands and could handle sourcing ingredients, formulating products, compliance testing, and production.

The minimum order was daunting at 10,000 units and nearly $70,000. But Kevin and Ben saw it as go big or go home.

As Kevin explained, “If we’re going all in on this, it’s got to work and it’s going to work.”

Developing the Brand Identity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With the product development underway, Kevin and Ben turned their focus to branding. They wanted to create an identity that would stand out in a sea of clinical, masculine skincare brands.

As a former football player, Kevin wasn’t always flattered by the “pretty boy” moniker.

He explains, “Now we all work out, eat healthy, want to look our best, type of thing. And you said, am I the OG pretty boy in the earlier call? Like my football coach in high school used to call me a pretty boy for one. You wear the visor, the towel, look good, feel good, play good.”

But they decided to reclaim the term to reflect their positioning.

This mentality of embracing your appearance aligned well with their target demographic. And it allowed them to have fun building out the brand aesthetic across the website, packaging, and content.

Gaining Those First Sales and Initial Traction

In mid-2021, the first 10,000 unit production run arrived at Kevin and Ben’s doorstep. Now the real work began—selling to real customers.

Their initial sales came from friends, family, and early supporters who had provided feedback. But word of mouth alone wouldn’t scale the business.

For broader customer acquisition, Facebook ads were crucial. Kevin suggests simple video ads talking to the camera about the product. They aim for cost per purchase in the mid $20s based on the $70-80 customer lifetime value.

TikTok ads were another channel they tried but learned to focus ad spend on just one platform. As Kevin advises, “Don’t try to do too many things. Stick with one, become a master of it.”

Driving organic traffic through SEO blog content has been big too. Targeting informative keywords can attract potential customers.

Lead generation tactics like offering 15% off in exchange for an email also helped capture interested website visitors.

Podcasts like Andrew Faris’ e-commerce show provided guidance on strategies to drive sales.

With a solid product and savvy marketing, PrettyBoy gained traction beyond just friends and family.

Their sales funnel and customer base expanded steadily.

Leveraging Tools and Technology

PrettyBoy leveraged various tools and technologies to streamline operations:

3PL: They upgraded to a 3rd party logistics provider for $3-3.50 per order. This freed up time for higher-level tasks.
UGC: User-generated content was more affordable than influencers.
Facebook Ads Library: Researching other top brands’ ads provided inspiration for their own ad creative.
ChatGPT – An AI that writes SEO-optimized articles that attract and inform potential customers.
Shopify – They offer a subscription option on their Shopify store. Around 60% of monthly sales now come from subscribers.
Amazon – Most product searches now begin on Amazon, which provides incredible visibility.

A Day in Their Life and Lessons Learned

During the early days, Kevin and Ben handled everything from packing orders to customer service. This gave them a hands-on understanding of the business.

Inventory management and cash flow projections were challenges they improved over time through financial modeling and forecasting. Managing an external 3PL partner also brought new lessons.

But overall, staying lean and reinvesting revenue served them well in scaling up efficiently.

What’s Next?

With strong momentum, the PrettyBoy team is excited about the future. They aim to continue exceeding sales targets through strategies like expanded Amazon distribution.

Crossing $1 million in annual revenue is within reach. And they’re getting close to being able to pursue the business full-time.

There’s still plenty of room to grow by optimizing digital marketing and expanding globally in the years ahead.

Key Takeaways for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Kevin and Ben’s success building PrettyBoy as a side hustle offers inspirational lessons for other aspiring entrepreneurs:

Do your homework through extensive market research before and after launch.
Reinvest revenue to aggressively grow instead of taking profits too early.
Think big about the total addressable market and your potential niche.

Kevin and Ben’s #1 Side Hustle Tips

Kevin: “Get a co-founder, stay lean.”
Ben: “Be customer-obsessed, get 1% better every day.”

Links and Resources from this Episode

Ben Feys
Kevin Niehoff
YoPrettyBoy
Andrew Faris’ e-commerce show
ChatGPT
Shopify
Amazon

Looking for More Side Hustle Help?

Start Your Free $500 Challenge. My free 5-day email course shows you how to add $500 to your bottom line.
Join the free Side Hustle Nation Community. The free Facebook group is the best place to connect with other side hustlers and get your questions answered.
Download The Side Hustle Show. My free podcast shares how to make extra money with actionable weekly episodes.